


If I Could Have One Wish

by teddiehtet



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Duchenne muscular Dystrophy, M/M, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 14:17:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12509320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddiehtet/pseuds/teddiehtet
Summary: At age 5, Victor Nikiforov took his first skating lesson at St. Petersburg and was immediately enthralled by the sport. At age 10, he could easily outperform other skaters his age. Then, during a family trip to a small town in Japan called Hasetsu, Victor met, and befriended a 6 year old boy when he catches the boy staring at him skate at the local ice rink.All Yuuri Katsuki wanted was to have the same physical capabilities as other children his age. The disappointment he felt when his parents told him that he wasn’t allowed to skate anymore because of a disorder tore at his young heart. He painfully swore that he would distance himself from the ice, but after a year of avoiding Ice Castle Hasetsu, Yuuri found himself missing skating tremendously. He wandered over to the rink, thinking no one would be there, but instead, was greeted by the fluid movements of his idol. The two strike up a close friendship within a day that left Yuuri ecstatic, but pained at the same time; after all, he couldn’t risk even going on the ice.A story that follows the lives of Victor, a young ice-skating prodigy, and Yuuri, a boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as they grow up and tackle the challenge life throws at them.





	If I Could Have One Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hi! I wrote this fic for the Victuri Bang 2017 collection, and my artist partner, @chichanchou on tumblr, has drawn very awesome art for the fic!! Please go check her out!! ^_^ Happy reading, everyone! Please let me know what you thought in the comments!

No matter how badly he wished to skate on the same ice as his childhood friend and idol, he couldn’t.

No matter how many times he attempted to run, or even walk, he couldn’t manage to travel more than a few steps before he found himself back in his wheelchair.

Tears of sadness, frustration, and most of all, happiness welled up in Yuuri Katsuki’s eyes as he stared at the TV screen in the living room of his family’s inn. The living room was unusually empty, allowing Yuuri to freely express his feelings.  His childhood friend, crush, and idol, Victor Nikiforov just won his fifth consecutive medal at the World Figure Skating Championship and Yuuri couldn’t have felt more proud, but at the same time, he felt the hole in his heart grow larger.

“Congrats again, Victor,” Yuuri whispered to himself. “I wish I could have been there in person…”

Seated on his wheelchair, Yuuri absentmindedly reached over to touch his legs. His disorder was continuing to develop and there was nothing much he could do about it. There was currently no known cure for the disorder he had, and unfortunately, Yuuri knew that because of his weakened muscles, he would never be able to go on the ice again.

The young man sighed. He often thought, “Why me?” Because of his disorder, a 6-year old Yuuri’s dream of being an ice-skater was cruelly snatched away, and when he thought things couldn’t get worse, he met his current best friend, who happened to be one of the best male ice-skaters in the world right now. Naturally, Yuuri wanted to skate on the same ice as his friend. He wanted to be Victor’s competitor and share the joy of the sport with him.

“But that’s never happening…” Yuuri murmured dejectedly. He curled his fingers tightly into fists as frustration started taking over. “All because of my stupid muscles--!”

Yuuri released a shuddering breath. He felt a couple of tear drops sliding down his cheeks. Yuuri always faced the reality of his situation. He knew he could never do any type of sport, and he has accepted it. However, that didn’t mean that he didn’t have frustrated breakdowns. Poor Yuuri could only dream of a world where he was able to skate as much as he wanted; a world where he could skate together with Victor.

His love for ice-skating was what brought him and Victor together in the first place. Yuuri leaned back in his wheelchair as he reminisced about the time when he got diagnosed with his disorder and when he first met Victor.

* * *

A 6-year-old Yuuri poked his head into his parents’ room. He saw his mom and dad discussing something in hushed voices. His mom looked distressed and his dad had his arm around his mom’s shoulder, trying to give as much comfort to her as he could. Yuuri couldn’t hear much, but he knew they were talking about him. He knew there was something wrong with his body.

When he was a bit younger, Yuuri would sometimes have a hard time walking and climbing stairs, and his parents also noticed that his calves were larger than that of a normal child. Sometimes Yuuri would fall, and when he tried to get back up, he would need help doing so, or he would first have to walk his hands up his legs to stand back up. Even with these hardships, a year ago, Yuuri still begged his parents to enroll him in ice-skating lessons because his close friend, Yuuko, got him interested. During practices, Yuuri was sometimes able to keep up, but there were also times where his legs wouldn’t work as well. When these symptoms became a bit more prominent than before, Yuuri’s parents got a bit worried and decided to take him to the doctor. After Yuuri’s test results returned, they further cemented the fact that something was in fact wrong with the young boy’s body- a genetic disorder called Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Yuuri didn’t understand much at that time. When he was sitting in the doctor’s office with his parents, with the doctor explaining the results, all he caught was that the disorder he had only happens to males and that it makes his body weaker.

Afterwards, his parents didn't let Yuuri go on the ice anymore. As a child, Yuuri was naturally disappointed, sad, and occasionally threw a temper tantrum. However, Yuuri also sensed that his parents were suffering as much as he was. Of course, both his mom and dad wanted Yuuri to do what he loved. Both of them wanted their son to continue ice-skating, but they knew that if they let Yuuri continue, it would only end up hurting Yuuri in the end not only physically, but also emotionally.

What if they let Yuuri continue and the young child ended up loving the sport even more? When Yuuri’s weakened muscles reach their limits, and he physically can’t continue ice-skating, it would break his heart even more now that he has had a taste of the sport. Thus, Hiroko and Toshiya decided to withdraw Yuuri from ice-skating lessons.

Although Yuuri wasn’t allowed to go on the ice anymore, his parents still let him go to Ice Castle Hasetsu and watch his friends, Yuuko and Takeshi, practice. Yuuri still felt hurt and disappointed that he couldn’t join his friends on the ice anymore, but he gradually, he found a little bit of peace in watching from the sidelines.

“Yuuri, Yuuri! Look at this!” Yuuko called out one day, as her, Yuuri, and Takeshi were hanging out at Ice Castle Hasetsu. She shoved a magazine in Yuuri’s face. “Look here! There’s an article on Victor Nikiforov!”

“Ah, that genius who took the gold in the World Juniors?” Takeshi asked.

Yuuri cocked his head. He’s heard Victor’s name a couple of times before from Yuuko but she hasn’t talked about him in depth before. “Victor Nikiforov?” Yuuri repeated. He took the magazine out of Yuuko’s hands to skim over the article. Unfortunately, he couldn’t understand the whole article since there were words he didn’t understand yet.

“I actually read the whole article with help from my mom, but the article’s basically about Victor winning the juniors division and a has a bit about his life!” Yuuko explained. “He’s super good, and I can’t wait to see what else he’ll do!”

All of a sudden, Yuuri was hit by a bout of curiosity. “Yuu-chan, you wouldn’t happen to have a recording of his performance… would you?”

A large grin spread across Yuuko’s face. “I’m glad you asked, cuz I do! I asked mom to record the whole junior championship! I’ll show you tomorrow, Yuuri!”

True to her word, Yuuko barged into Yuuri’s room just to show him her recording. They watched through all of the performances, but none of the performances grabbed Yuuri’s attention as much as Victor’s did. Victor was graceful, but at the same time, he had the bursting energy of a young child, and Yuuri couldn’t take his eyes off of him. Victor’s performance was breathtaking, and Yuuri was undoubtedly drawn to the young silver-haired boy.

After watching the performances, Yuuko went on to tell Yuuri more about Victor, and Yuuri absorbed all the new information like a sponge.

One afternoon, a few months later, Yuuri decided to ask permission from his mom to go to Ice Castle Hasetsu by himself to see if Yuuko or Takeshi were practicing. After getting permission, along with a small lecture on safety, Yuuri went over to the Ice Castle. He struggled a little bit, but with his strong conviction, Yuuri managed to walk there by himself. The young boy entered the ice rink and spotted someone gliding across the ice. He got closer to check if it was Yuuko, but froze in place when he finally realized that it was neither Yuuko nor Takeshi.

_“V-Victor Nikiforov? It’s actually him? Wh-What’s Victor Nikiforov doing here?!”_ Yuuri mentally panicked. He watched Victor perform a double toe loop and, in awe, he took a sharp breath before he could stop himself.

* * *

A 10-year-old Victor was amazed at all the new sights and experiences. His family had decided to take a small vacation, so Victor decided to take a short break from his lessons and tagged along. His trip to Japan excited him in so many ways. He was able to experience a whole new culture, try many different types of food, and hear a completely different language. When he and his family arrived at the small town of Hasetsu, Victor was once again taken in by the town’s beauty and quaintness, as well as how nice the local people were.

While his parents were checking in to the inn they would be staying at, Victor flipped through pamphlets that were on display at the inn. Thanks to the pamphlets, he discovered that there was an ice rink near the inn, and so after getting permission from his parents, Victor quickly dashed off to find the rink.

When he entered Ice Castle Hasetsu, Victor couldn’t help himself. He ran over to the counter and asked for a pair of rental skates using English. Due to the language barrier, it took a little while, but he finally got a pair of skates his size, and the young boy excitedly made his way over to the rink.

Victor glided across the ice, doing his usual warm-ups. Right as he landed a double toe loop, a sharp intake of breath caught his attention. The twelve-year-old scanned the rink of Ice Castle Hasetsu, which was seemingly deserted (except for the worker at the counter), but soon laid his eyes on a young boy with black hair and round, hazel eyes. With his eyebrows raised, eyes as wide as saucers, and mouth ajar, the boy was the epitome of star-struck.

Victor’s ice blue eyes met the boy’s warm brown ones. He gave a small smile to his spectator and called out, in English, “Hello! Did you want to skate too?”

The boy snapped his jaw shut. A light pink blush colored his cheeks as he ducked his head down, immediately breaking eye contact.

“Don’t be shy! I don’t bite!” Victor teasingly said. He skated over to the edge of the rink to go and meet the other boy. Once Victor reached the barrister, he went over to the opening and crouched down. The Japanese boy was sitting, with his knees drawn up to his chin and his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. Victor tapped his shoulder lightly, earning a startled jump from the dark-haired boy.

“Ah… um… h-hello,” the Japanese boy shyly greeted.

“Hi! Are you here to skate too?” Victor asked.

The other boy visibly gulped. Victor thought he looked like a deer in headlights, since the other boy seemed to have frozen up again. So, Victor just continued to introduce himself. “I’m Victor Nikiforov. It’s nice to meet you!”

The Japanese boy nodded quickly. Victor figured that it meant that the Japanese boy has heard of him before, perhaps. The dark-haired boy then pointed to himself and said, “Yuuri. Katsuki, Yuuri.”

“Yuuri?” Victor tested. The Japanese boy nodded in affirmation. “Nice to meet you, Yuuri!”

Yuuri gave Victor a small smile and muttered something in Japanese. Victor cocked his head to the side. Even though Victor’s been in Japan for some days, he only knows a couple of Japanese phrases, and what Yuuri said wasn’t one of them.

“I’m sorry, I don’t really understand Japanese,” Victor confessed. “Um, is English okay for you or…?”

Now it was Yuuri’s turn to look slightly confused. “Ah, um, some English is… okay,” Yuuri mumbled.

Victor sighed in relief. The slight language barrier might be a little difficult to overcome, but he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of him getting acquainted with the people in Hasetsu. Victor finally found someone around his age (maybe younger) with whom he could chat with, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip by.

“Do you like ice-skating?” Victor asked, attempting to make small talk.

Yuuri perked up and nodded fervently with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

Victor chuckled. “Me too! Do you want to skate together?” At the word together, Victor pointed to himself, then at Yuuri, and then pointed out at the skating rink.

Victor noticed that once he asked, instead of Yuuri replying with an equally enthusiastic nod, the younger boy’s shoulders slumped. Yuuri then slowly shook his head. “I…can’t.”

“Why? Is it because you can’t skate well yet? Are you shy? It’s okay if you can’t skate very well yet!”

Victor’s barrage of questions scared Yuuri slightly, since he couldn’t really understand everything Victor said very well yet. Yuuri started panicking a little, since he didn’t want Victor to misunderstand anything, and also didn’t want him to think that he was being hostile.

Thankfully, Victor got distracted by someone else coming into Ice Castle, giving Yuuri a chance to let out a breath that he didn’t even realize he had been holding.

“Vitya! Are you here?”

Victor recognized his mom’s Russian immediately and answered back, “I’m here, mama!”

Along with Victor’s mom and dad was another woman- a plump lady with short, brown hair and with a pair of glasses.

“Okaa-san!” Yuuri called out.

“Yuuri, thank God you’re here.” Yuuri’s mom went over to Yuuri and wrapped the boy in a tight hug.

“Thank you for taking us here, Hiroko,” Victor’s mom said in English. “Victor tends to be very excited whenever there is an ice rink.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Hiroko replied. “I will gladly guide us all back to the inn, unless Victor wants to skate some more?”

“I think Vitya should rest for now,” Victor’s mom chuckled. “We don’t want him to use up all his energy on our first day in Hasetsu.” When Victor’s mom called Victor over, the young boy ran over to his parents.

Once Victor returned the rental skates, Hiroko, while holding onto Yuuri’s hand, led the Nikiforov family back to Yuutopia.

As they were walking, Yuuri tugged at his mom’s hand. “Okaa-san, who are they?”

Hiroko whispered quickly in Japanese, “They are Victor’s parents, and they will be staying at our inn for the week.”

Yuuri’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Eh?! Vi-Victor and his parents will be staying with us?” Yuuri quietly asked again.

Hiroko nodded. “They’re very nice people. I’m sure Vicchan is a wonderful child too.”

Yuuri still felt a bit starstruck. He was going to be in the same building with Victor Nikiforov for the whole week. He thought, _“What if we become…friends?”_ But Yuuri quickly shook the thought away. _“Victor is…well, he’s Victor! I’m just a nobody. Why would Victor even waste his time on someone like me? Someone who can’t even skate…”_

However, Victor would go on to prove Yuuri wrong, and that was the beginning of Yuuri’s week with his idol and soon-to-be friend, Victor Nikiforov.

* * *

 

(Art by Chichanchou on tumblr: Link to her post [here!! ](http://chichanchou.tumblr.com/post/166830575457/hi-im-so-glad-to-participate-in)

* * *

“Yuuri! Let’s go to Ice Castle!”

“Yuuri! Wanna go to the hot springs together?”

“Yuuri! Look, look! Hiroko-san taught me and my mom how to fold a crane!”

For the next few days, young Yuuri was constantly bombarded by Victor calling his name, as well as his invitations to spend time with him. Yuuri didn’t mind. In fact, the days he spent together with Victor were some of the happiest he’s had. Talking to Victor had also allowed Yuuri to practice his English, and Victor encouraged Yuuri to speak more English, and advised him to not be afraid to make mistakes. Soon, Yuuri felt more comfortable speaking in English with Victor.

While the two young boys spent a lot of their time together, Yuuri also introduced Victor to Yuuko and Takeshi, much to the older girl’s delight. Yuuri would never forget the extreme excitement on Yuuko’s face as she introduced herself while grabbing Victor’s hand and shaking it enthusiastically. Yuuri slowly got more comfortable talking to Victor while the two shared stories about their families or any fun experiences they’ve had. Victor would describe his home, for example, and in turn, Yuuri would tell him about a trip that his family took to Tokyo, with his limited English.

“You got lost, in the city, Yuuri?” Victor gasped dramatically. “Such a carefree child you are!”

“Wh-What… you’re a child too, Victor! And I um… er...lost my mom!” An embarrassed Yuuri defended. “Mari got lost with me too…”

Victor laughed heartily and reached out to ruffle Yuuri’s hair. “I’m just teasing, Yuuri! Your reactions are always so cute!”

Victor’s constant affection and casual compliments towards Yuuri never failed to make the younger boy blush. Victor was the first person, outside of his family, whom Yuuri felt comfortable being physically affectionate with. The first time Yuuri got hugged by Victor, however, the younger boy froze while his mind was going into overdrive, since he didn’t expect physical affection from **the** Victor Nikiforov just a day after they met.

Of course, there were a few times where Yuuri felt saddened by the fact that he wasn’t able to skate together with Victor whenever they would go to the Ice Castle together. He always appreciated Victor’s skating, and he would always enthusiastically clap whenever Victor showed off a couple of jumps, or when he would skate snippets of a program he was practicing. Most of the time, if Yuuri felt down, he would sometimes mask his sadness by always having a smile spread across his face and cheering Victor on. One day however, Victor noticed that Yuuri was visibly fidgety, and even though the Russian boy could see that a smile was on the younger boy’s face, Yuuri’s eyes didn’t shine as bright as it usually did.

Victor glided across the ice, to the barrier that separated him from Yuuri. The older boy leaned on the barrier and stared straight into Yuuri’s eyes. “What’s making you sad, Yuuri?”

“Ah…” Yuuri squeaked. “Um, nothing!”

“Hmm…” Victor hummed. “There’s definitely something, Yuuri. Please tell me whatever is making you sad.” After a pause, Victor continued. “Is it my skating? Is it making you sad today? I can stop and we can go back…”

“N-No!” Yuuri protested, a little louder than his usual speaking voice. He repeated in a quieter voice, “No...your skating never makes me sad.”

“I know you do love skating, Yuuri,” Victor said. “We have spent the past few nights talking about upcoming competitions and past programs of skaters we both love. Your passion for skating shines through all the talks we have had, Yuuri.”

Yuuri nodded slowly, soaking in the words Victor slowly spoke. “Ice skating...I really do love it.”

“Right, I can tell you do,” Victor agreed, a soft smile spreading across his lips. He reached out to gently pat Yuuri’s head. “Please tell me your worries, my friend. I will gladly listen to anything.”

Yuuri hesitated for a moment. He did want to tell Victor that he couldn’t skate because of his body, but at the same time, he didn’t want to bother Victor with his problems. At this point, Yuuri’s mind cruelly reminded him that the boy in front of him was **Victor Nikiforov** , a well known child prodigy ice skater. **The** Victor Nikiforov was right in front of him, so close that all Yuuri needed to do to touch him was to lift up his arm and reach out.

_“...Why is Victor Nikiforov so close to me right now?”_ Yuuri mentally asked. _“...How is he my… friend? Me? I’m just a child who can’t even walk properly. Why would he even try to be my friend?”_

“Yuuri!” Victor’s clear voice snapped Yuuri out of his intrusive thoughts. Yuuri then felt Victor’s gloved hands on the sides of his face, and in the next second, Victor’s fingers pinched Yuuri’s cheeks.

“Ow, ow, ow, Victooorr... “ Yuuri whined.

“You were staring out into space,” Victor pouted. After a moment, Victor released Yuuri’s cheeks, but kept his hands on the younger boy’s face. Victor used his thumbs to rub Yuuri’s now red cheeks to try and soothe the angry patches of skin. “We have only known each other for a few days, but I already think of you as one of my closest friends. Honestly, whenever I tried to make friends back home, most of the time, it ends in failure.”

“...Huh?” Yuuri gaped. “H-How? Why…?”

Victor nodded. “Some of the younger children look up to me too much, I think. And some children my age, I think, are jealous, or wanted to be known as ‘Victor Nikiforov’s friend’… at least, that is what my coach said. I can try to make friends, but to be honest, it does not feel very...real.”

“But...you’re Victor,” Yuuri whispered.

“My name didn’t stop you from becoming my friend,” Victor warmly said. “Yuuri, I remember you seemed a little nervous, but after a couple of days, you accepted me. You always made sure I was okay, and you being beside me made me feel like I finally had a friend who really wanted to know the real me. I’m very happy that you are my friend, Yuuri!”

Yuuri’s heart soared. Like today, there were times where he thought he didn’t deserve to be Victor’s friend, but Yuuri didn’t regret being friends with his idol. Thanks for Victor, Yuuri was able to become more confident in speaking English, and was more willing to go outside, despite his body’s condition. Thanks to Victor, on most days, Yuuri was able to take his mind off of his weaker body, and instead, focus his mind on other things, such as sharing stories with Victor.

“Thanks to you, Yuuri, I...don’t feel lonely on my trip anymore,” Victor spoke. The Russian boy took his hands off of Yuuri’s cheeks and instead, placed one of his hands on Yuuri’s head and ruffled his hair. “I really, really, really hope we will continue to be friends until we grow old.”

_“Right…”_ Yuuri remembered. _“Victor’s going back to Russia in a few days…”_ The familiar sting of tears started poking at the corner of Yuuri’s eyes. Before the first drop could fall, Yuuri quickly used his sleeve to wipe it away.

With a sniff, Yuuri replied, “I promise, we will always be friends.” Yuuri then stuck out his arm and offered his pinky. “ _Yubikiri_.”

“A pinky swear?” Victor confirmed. With a light laugh, he removed his hand from Yuuri’s head and hooked his pinky with Yuuri’s.

“If you like, you have to swallow a thousand needles,” Yuuri said, attempting to sound scary.

“Aha, I would never, ever lie to you, Yuuri,” Victor promised. “We’ll always be friends.”

After their pinky promise, the days passed; each day becoming more fun than the last, but unfortunately, that happiness wouldn’t last forever. Before the boys knew it, it was time for Victor to head back to Russia.

The night before Victor’s flight back, Yuuri worked up the courage to ask his mom whether Victor could sleepover in his room, to which his mom happily replied yes. The two boys lied flat on their stomachs as Yuuri showed Victor his small figure skating magazine collection. While Victor was busy flipping through the pages (despite him not being able to read Japanese), Yuuri sucked in a huge breath, and then released it.

Victor heard Yuuri release his breath. He looked up from his magazine. “Is there something wrong?”

“Mm, no,” Yuuri answered. “I just...wanted to tell you something.” Victor nodded, gesturing Yuuri to continue. “It’s about why I...don’t skate.”

“Tell me only if you feel like it okay?” Victor soothed. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, Yuuri.”

The younger boy shook his head. “I want you to know, Victor.” Yuuri breathed in one more time, and breathed out. “I did try to figure skate. And I really loved it. I started learning around 2 years ago, and it was really fun. But...I couldn’t keep going. One day, I kept falling and couldn’t skate properly. It kept happening, and so my coach told Okaa-san and Otou-san. Honestly, I don’t know what they talked about, but later, I had to go to the hospital. For some days, the doctor and Okaa-san and Otou-san talked, and I couldn’t really um...understand much, but I knew that there was something wrong with my body. I don’t know what it’s called in English…”

“I see,” Victor followed. He crawled closer to Yuuri and draped one of his arms around the younger boy’s shoulders. His hand reached up to gently pat Yuuri’s hair. “It must have been a very hard time for you.”

“After that, I wasn’t allowed to skate anymore,” Yuuri continued. “I was very angry. I loved skating, even though I didn’t skate for a long time. Victor…” Yuuri turned his head and looked straight into Victor’s eyes. “I really, really love your skating. When Yuu-chan first showed me your skating, I wished that one day, we would be able to skate together. But…” Yuuri sighed. “I know my body will keep getting weaker. I can’t skate together with you.”

Victor felt his heart clench in pain at Yuuri’s sad smile. Victor was good at talking in most situations, but in this case, he found himself at a loss for words. So instead, he wrapped both of his arms around Yuuri, hoping that a hug would at least help his friend in some way.

“I’m very bad at comforting people, Yuuri,” Victor admitted. “I’m afraid that if I talk now, I may say something bad...so, I hope you accept my hug.”

Yuuri snuggled closer to Victor and placed his hand on one of Victor’s forearms. “Thank you, Victor. Thank you…”

* * *

The next day, Yuuri, Hiroko and Toshiya all accompanied Victor and his parents to the airport. While they were waiting to check in their bags, Victor’s parents thanked Yuuri’s family for their hospitality and Yuuri for accompanying Victor almost everywhere.

“I was a bit concerned that Vitya would be lonely on this trip,” Victor’s mom admitted. “But I’m so glad he met you. Thank you so much for being Vitya’s friend, little Yuuri.”

“Ah, um…” Yuuri stammered. “I love being Victor’s friend!”

“I love being your friend too, Yuuri!” Victor cut in, as he squeezed Yuuri in a tight hug one last time. “We’ll stay friends, right? We promised?”

With a small laugh, Yuuri promised, “We will. I’ll always write letters to you!”

“Me too!” Victor seconded. After releasing Yuuri from his hug, Victor continued, “I’ll make you another promise, Yuuri. When we grow up, one day, I’ll invite you to one of my competitions! And I’ll definitely take first place!”

To Victor’s pleasant surprise, Yuuri stepped closer and initiated his first hug towards Victor. “If it’s you, Victor, I know you can do it. I will always be cheering for you.”

* * *

Years passed, and true to their words, the two boys kept exchanging letters. When they both got cellphones and then computers, their physical letter exchanges switched over to emails and video calls. There were times when both of them would be busy, but somehow, they always made at least a few minutes to talk to each other, or to send a short email.

Yuuri was proud of how far Victor had gone in the figure skating world. Victor became known as the “Living Legend” and Yuuri couldn’t be more proud of his friend. Although Yuuri was extremely happy for Victor, the Japanese boy still wished to go on the ice again, someday. Unfortunately for Yuuri, his body got weaker as he grew older. When he was a child, he was still able to walk, even though it was awkward and difficult. As he grew older, the muscles in his legs were not able to support his weight as much anymore, and so he had to rely on a wheelchair.

Yuuri tried to not let his disorder weigh him down. To kepe his mind occupied, he continued to study English and even worked harder to try and study abroad in the United States. He still had to take care of himself and not overwork, however. Yuuri still had frequent visits to his doctor and went to physical therapy sessions, as well as take medications. Teenage Yuuri took his medications and hospital visits as seriously as his studies, even though there would be some times when he gets frustrated not only at his disorder, but also at himself.

There were times when Victor would show up unannounced at Yuutopia, saying that he didn’t tell Yuuri since he wanted to surprise him. Both Yuuri and Victor always felt ecstatic whenever they could meet, but sometimes Yuuri wanted to playfully smack Victor over the head for just flying to Japan when he felt like it.

Whenever Victor came to Japan, he and Yuuri would spend a lot of time together either at Yuutopia, or Yuuri would watch Victor practice at the Ice Castle. By Victor’s tenth visit, almost everyone in Hasetsu knew Victor not only as the figure skating legend, but also as Yuuri Katsuki’s very close friend. Some neighbors who are close with Yuuri’s family would even tease them, calling them a cute couple and asking them when the wedding is. Victor would laugh and thank the neighbors as he gleefully crouched down to cling onto Yuuri while Yuuri would get bright red and start stammering. Nevertheless, Yuuri wouldn’t deny that the neighbor’s teasing does cheer him up at times.

Much later, during the Grand Prix 2015-2016 series, Yuuri actively followed Victor’s qualifying competitions for the Grand Prix final, and once Victor had secured his spot, Yuuri sent Victor a congratulatory email, and when both of them were free they did a little celebratory video chat, with drinks and snacks.

One day, on the day after his 23rd birthday, Yuuri received an email from Victor, saying that he had a surprise for Yuuri coming in the next couple of days. Yuuri wondered what it was, and was very pleasantly surprised when he received 4 tickets to the Grand Prix final in Barcelona.

“For you and your family” was the message that was written on the card that came with the tickets.

Once Yuuri received his tickets, he sent an email to Victor to thank him for the tickets, to once again congratulate him, and to say that he’s looking forward to Victor’s victory.

* * *

The flight to Barcelona was long and tiring, and Yuuri had to make sure to keep track of his medications, as well as research any nearby hospitals he can get admitted to, just in case of an emergency. It was difficult for Yuuri to travel because of his condition, but being in first class made it a little more bearable. When they landed, Yuuri and his family hired a taxi to their hotel. Yuuri received a message from Victor saying that he would’ve loved to pick them up, but he was busy with practice and preparations, and that his coach would’ve stopped him if he tried anyway (which got a tiny chuckle out of Yuuri). Later that night, Yuuri sent Victor a message wishing him good luck at the final tomorrow.

On the day of the competition, Victor’s performance blew Yuuri away, as usual. Although Yuuri has seen both Victor’s short program and free skate before, during the Cup of China and the Rostelecom Cup, his jaw always drops at how much sex appeal Victor exudes during his short program, while his free skate had a more emotional tug on Yuuri.

_“‘On Love: Eros’ and ‘Aria: Stay Close to Me’ are very different,”_ Yuuri thought as he kept his eyes fixed on Victor’s flowing form. For a second, Yuuri thought Victor’s gaze met his right before Victor performed his signature quad flip. Every time he watched Victor’s programs, he thought Victor was trying to tell him something...something quite personal.

_“It’s as if he’s trying to convey his love… for me?”_ Yuuri hesitantly thought, but right after, he quickly erased the idea. _“No, no, there’s no way. Ah… but one can dream, right?”_

* * *

The results came out, with Victor placing first. A giddy Victor could barely stand still during the awards ceremony, since he couldn’t wait to show off his medal to Yuuri and his family. Right after the ceremony, Victor put on his coat, and after covering his face as much as possible, said a quick goodbye to his coach (who was getting tired of Victor always running off to meet his “Japanese boyfriend”) and ran off to find Yuuri.

Once he spotted the familiar mop of black hair, Victor speed walked to Yuuri and tapped him on the shoulder. When Yuuri turned around, Victor lightly pressed his finger to Yuuri’s lips, signalling him to stay quiet. Victor then gripped Yuuri’s wheelchair handles and led him away, weaving through crowd that was gathered outside the stadium.

After some minutes, they arrived at an area that was a little less crowded. Yuuri spoke, “It’s a good thing I told kaa-san, tou-san, and Mari to go back to the hotel without me.”

“Oops,” Victor mumbled. “Ahaha… sorry for dragging you out so suddenly.”

“It’s fine, I know by now that you’re someone who always does things at your pace,” Yuuri teased. “Did you want to go somewhere? You’re not too tired? Are you sure you don’t want to go back to your hotel and rest?”

“No no, rest can come later,” Victor reassured. “There is somewhere I want to take you, however. Have you gone sightseeing yet, Yuuri?”

“I haven’t had the time or luxury to yet,” Yuuri replied. “I don’t think I can go sightseeing for long anyway. I may get tired quickly.” Yuuri looked around. “Where did you wanna go? I don’t really know if it’s an optimal time for sightseeing right now…” He gestured towards the sky and their surroundings, wordlessly telling Victor that it was already dark out.

“That’s perfect,” Victor cheered, his mouth turning into the heart-shaped smile that Yuuri always adored. “The place we’re going is extremely beautiful at night.”

“Hmm,” Yuuri hummed. “Alright then, lead the way.”

When they reached their destination, Yuuri’s jaw dropped. Like Victor said, the place was indeed beautiful at night. The Barcelona Cathedral towered above them, bathed in a breathtaking yellow-orange hue that gave the cathedral an ethereal glow.

“Wow…” Yuuri breathed. “This really is a gorgeous place.”

“Isn’t it?” Victor agreed. “Ever since I found out that the Grand Prix Final would be in Barcelona, I’ve wanted to take you to this cathedral.”

“Thank you for taking me here,” Yuuri thanked. He looked up from his wheelchair, stared straight into Victor’s eyes, and reached up to pat Victor’s cheek. “You’re a great friend, Victor.”

Victor gently grasped Yuuri’s outstretched hand and gave it a small squeeze. He then let Yuuri’s hand go and walked around the wheelchair, and stopped right in front of Yuuri. Victor crouched down and took Yuuri’s hands in his. “What if I want us to be more than friends?”

Yuuri froze. Was he dreaming? He swore Victor asked if they could be more than friends…

“Uh...I must be super tired,” Yuuri commented, breaking the silence. “C-Could you repeat what you just said?”

Victor’s gaze pierced through Yuuri’s chocolate brown eyes. Unwavering, he repeated, “What if I want us to be more than friends?”

Yuuri heard that right...he definitely heard that right. He’s had a secret (not-so-secret to Yuuko, Takeshi, and his family) crush on Victor for years now, and he’s never thought of acting on it because he thought Victor didn’t feel the same way, but now, after this bomb Victor dropped on him, Yuuri’s mind was going into overdrive. His heart started racing a bit, even.

“I…” Yuuri started. “What…”

“Sorry if I sprung this on you too suddenly,” Victor apologized. “I really wanted to let you know how I feel. Remember our childhood promise? I promised you that one day, I’d invite you to one of my competitions and that I’d win.”

Yuuri nodded.

“Years ago, when I thought about that promise, I also wanted to let you know how I feel about you,” Victor continued. “I’ve liked you a lot for years, Yuuri. Our video chats, our messages, and all our time together are so precious to me. I love talking to you, spending time with you, and sharing stories with you. You would always be there for me when I have something to complain about, or whenever I’m feeling stressed about the meeting the public’s expectations of always having to the best. You were with me through thick and thin, and you never treated me as ‘Victor Nikiforov, the Living Legend’. I could be myself around you.”

“Um, to be honest, I did kind of put you on a pedestal when we were young…” Yuuri sheepishly confessed. “But, as we grew up, I became so much more comfortable around you, and I always looked forward to talking with you. I even look forward to your spontaneous visits, whenever those might have been.”

Victor chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoyed spending time with me.”

A genuine smile spread across Yuuri’s lips. “I wouldn’t exchange our time together for the world.”

“Neither would I,” Victor spoke. He brought both of Yuuri’s hands to his lips and pressed a kiss on his knuckles. “I’ve liked...no, I’ve loved you for a long time now, Yuuri, and…”

“Me too,” Yuuri cut in, nervously. “I uh…I’ve had a huge crush on you for years now and I never thought you’d feel the same way, but I’d love it if we could date?”

Yuuri rushed through the rest of his confession so fast that it left Victor slightly speechless. “Pft...I didn’t expect you to swoop in, half-way through my confession and ask me out first. I wanted to be the first one to ask you,” Victor teased.

“I once told myself that if I ever got the courage to confess, I’d wanna try to ask you out first,” Yuuri cheekily replied. “So, what’s your answer?”

“Of course, it’s a yes, my Yuuri,” Victor lovingly cooed. He then leaned over and lightly bumped his nose with Yuuri’s.

They were happy... for some moments. Yuuri then leaned in to kiss Victor’s forehead as Victor happily leaned in as well, to help Yuuri reach. The two of them shyly looked down at their intertwined hands. Just as Victor stood up and was about to ask Yuuri if he’d like to either go back to the hotel, or go somewhere else, Yuuri suddenly went eerily quiet. Victor crouched down again and peered at Yuuri’s face. He noticed that Yuuri was staring straight at his legs and that his hand was reaching out to touch his swollen legs.

“Yuuri…” Victor whispered.

“I’m really happy,” Yuuri assured. “I really am, but...this nagging feeling...my attitude towards my condition, will always be eating away at my thoughts.”

“I understand, Yuuri,” Victor said.

As if the weather could read the mood, the once clear night sky was now accompanied by the first flakes of snow. The white snowflakes slowly drifted down, with some of it landing on Victor’s and Yuuri’s hair, and others landing on Yuuri’s thighs, or Victor’s back, or just falling on the street.

“I once thought that if I could have one wish, it would be to skate on the same ice as you,” Yuuri started. He felt the sting of tears at the corners of his eyes. He turned to Victor and saw that a sad smile graced his lips. Yuuri reached out and cupped Victor’s face in his hand. Using his thumb, Yuuri wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall, at the corner of Victor’s eye.

“Yuuri…” Victor whispered. He took in a huge breath, only to exhale shakily. Victor placed his hand on top of Yuuri’s and closed his fingers around it, pulling both their hands away from his face.

Yuuri weakly squeezed Victor’s hand.  “Now, if I could have one last wish,” Yuuri shakily breathed. “It would be to stay together with you as much as I can.” Tears were falling now. “I don’t know what will happen to me… honestly, I don’t know when my heart will fail me, and I don’t know when my time will be up…”

“No, Yuuri, don’t say that,” Victor weakly pleaded.

“One day I’ll leave this world, Victor, and you know it,” Yuuri painfully reminded. “I’ll…leave this world before you do, and… and…” Yuuri sniffed and let out a shaky breath. “And I don’t want you to be hung up on me. I don’t want you to suffer for the rest of your life because of me…”

“I’d never suffer because of you,” Victor reassured. His voice was quiet, but low, showing his strong conviction. “I would take the stars from the sky if it made you happy, my Yuuri, and if I could, I wish I could spend eternity with you.” He gave Yuuri’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I… I know you’re trying to think realistically Yuuri… I understand. I…understand that someday, your heart muscles will stop…but… please, let us spend the present with no regrets.”

Yuuri hunched over and started shaking. Large tears were rolling down his face and his red nose was clogging up from snot. Victor, from his crouching position, leaned over to embrace Yuuri. The older man ran his hand up and down his boyfriend’s back in a soothing manner, while Victor himself was also starting to cry.

“Nn,” Yuuri muttered. “I can’t guarantee that I can go out on normal dates with you…”

“That’s perfectly okay,” Victor softly interrupted.

“I’ll probably have to constantly go back to the hospital…or even stay there for extended times…”

“That’s fine,” Victor once again reassured. “Yuuri, any time I’m spending with you is a date to me, and I ask for nothing more than that. I’m happy just being by your side.” Victor brought Yuuri’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “You were already great friend, Yuuri. You care so much not only about me, but also about others, and you are always by my side, supporting me. I know you’ll be an even better boyfriend...and hopefully, even husband.”

“I…” Yuuri sniffed. “I can’t be by your side forever…”

“It’s painful, I understand,” Victor spoke as he leaned back and gazed into Yuuri’s eyes. “But Yuuri, I will have no regrets if we make the most of our time together, in the present. I don’t regret this confession, nor the promise rings. I love you and nothing can change that. The future is something unpredictable, but who knows? Maybe someone will announce a cure for the disorder. Maybe there will be new technology that prolongs your life even further. Since the future is unpredictable, the present is what we can take hold of with our own hands.” Victor then clasped Yuuri’s hand with both of his. “We only live once, and because life is unpredictable, we should make the most of our present.”

Yuuri leaned in so that his forehead was touching Victor’s. “Mm,” Yuuri agreed. “I understand. I love you too, and it’d make me so happy if I could spend the rest of my life with you. I’m feeling happy about us, but to be honest, I still feel crappy about my condition. But like you said, we only live once. I’ll…I’ll calm down eventually. For now, can we just…stay together, like this?” Yuuri wrapped his arms around Victor’s neck, bringing him closer. Victor nodded and wordlessly let Yuuri hug him.

Like Victor said, the future is unpredictable. Yuuri could pass the next day, or he could live on for many more years. No matter what the future holds, one thing is for certain- Victor and Yuuri would spend the rest of their living days together. Rather than days filled with regret and remorse, the couple filled their days filled with laughter and fun. After all, you only live once, so the best thing you can do for yourself is to live your life the way you wish.

_“Thank you for everything, Victor,”_ Yuuri thanked mentally. _“You gave me so much strength.”_

_“Thank you for being by my side, Yuuri,”_ Victor thought at the same time. _“Without you, I would have kept on living a life without knowing the meaning of love and life.”_

_“Thank you for being my other half,”_ both men mentally finished.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed reading! ^_^ My partner uploaded her art on her tumblr too, so go check her out!!


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